Spectacular illusion apparatus.



SPECTACULAR ILLUSION APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED DEC. 18, 1911.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

INVENTOR,

.BWZIG,

J AW.

ATTORNE V8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. BURKE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPECTACULAR ILLUSION APPARATUS.

l ,0 ,430, Specification f Letters Iatent- Pill (Elli ed. Se )t. 3

Application filed December 18, Serial N0. 666,5Q5.

To all whom it may concern: and not as defining the limits'of the inven- Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. BURKE, 21 tion. citizen of the United States, residing in the Figure 1 1s a side elevation, partly in city of New York borough of Manhattan, vertical section of an illusion apparatus em- .5 county and State of New York, have inbodying this invention, the torpedo shaped vented a certain new and useful Spectacular C21 being shown in flight and adapted to Illusion Apparatus, of which the following follow the path indicated by dotted lines. is ifi ti Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 This invention is a spectacular illusion of Fig. 1 illustrating the terminal receiving 10 apparatus, and the object of the invention tank and the air chamber thereof wherein is to amuse and mystify large audiences, the the confederate is to be stationed out of view invention being adapted for use, more parof the audience. Fig. 3 is a vertical section ticularly, in the larger places of amusement through one embodiment of the torpedoshaped car wherein the performer is to be 15 \Vith the specified objects in view, the inplaced within the view of the audience. after vention embodies a suitable car orcontainer which the car is raised to a position at the in which a performer may be temporarily top of the tower, at which point the perplacedywhichecar or container, after the surformer is to leave the car before it is proreptitious exit of the performer therefrom, jected from the top of the tower. 0 is then projected through a very consideri in the form of apparatus disclosed in the able distance and into a specially constructdrawings, the car, carriage, or other vehicle, ed receiving chamber, where a confederate is represented in the form of a torpedo, is stationed and emerges therefrom upon the i the same being provided with a conical cap arrival of the car, thereby creating the illu- 'or top a. and a trap door I); the latter being 35 sion that such confederate was the person \retained normally in the closed position by such as circuses, hippodromes and theaters.

who was placed in the car and, presumably. any suitable form of catch, 0. It will he remained therein during the flight of said understood, however, that the shape of the car. car is not material, and that any suitable In a preferred form of the invention the design or figure may be used. Prior to 30 car is of torpedo shape, and is shot from a hoisting the ear to the position Where it is cannon, either by the force of an explosive or by springs, the said cannon being positioned on a tower. Moreover, the torpedo shaped car. in the course of its flight, strikes 1 35 a chute or race way which lessens the mo- 1 nientum of the torpedo and also directs its path, preferably through a target. thereby struction. said tower being provided at its giving a particularly realistic and startling; i top with a platform Z; located at a suitable effect. height above the ground. Near the top of to be projected through the air, the top a is removed and the performer is lowered into the car. after which the top a is secured again in position, this operation being 90 performed in the full view of the audience.

l) designates a tower of any suitable con- The preferred form of the receiving; or the tower. and preferably below the platterminal chamber consists of a tank containform I), is a chamberC, the height of which ing water, said tank being provided with a is sutlicient to practically conceal the perconnnuni atine; chamber in which the conformer after leaving the car. The car is federateis stationed. and from which chaniadapted to be hoisted or elevated to the top her he may enter the tank and pass up of the tower at which time the performer thrtmgh tb: water therein immediately after within the car operates the catch 0 so as to the arrival of the torpedo. open the, trap door 5, thus enabling the per- Other features of the invention, together former to escape from the car and to pass with their function and advantages will be into the chamber C. The exit of the perahparcnt from the hereinafter detailed deformer from the car is thus effected without scription of said invention taken in conjuncthe audience observing the Operation, the tion with the accompanving drawings. .tll' being at all times within the view of the in the awoinpanving drawings, l have audience, the trap door being closed after H illustrated one practical embodiment of the the performer leaves the car. It is evident invention. but the (:onstt'lii'tlmi shown thcrcthat any sui able hoisting or elevating in is to be tltiiltl';-l,uo(l as illustrative, only l mechanism may be used for raising the car to the platform, Z but as this mechanism forms no part of the invention I have notconsidered it necessary to illustrate the same in detail. Upon the platform I), at the top of the tower, is a suitable projecting apparatus. the same being represented as a cannon D. The torpedo-shaped car is adapted to be projected by the cannon beyond the tower, and for this purpose the cannon is constructed so as to receive a charge of explosive, the gas resulting from which projects the car beyond the tower. It is evident that springs or compressed air, or other propelling medium may be employed in the projecting apparatus D for the purpose of 1m arting the initial movement to the terpedb shaped car, but as these matters do not form an essential part of this invention it has not been considered necessary to illustrate in detail a particular form of propelling apparatus.

E designates a chute or guideway which is spaced relative to the tower and upon which the torpedo-shaped car is adapted to run in the course of its flight from the tower to the target F. As shown, one end of the chute is higher than the other, and this chute is curved downwardly from the elevated end thereof and is curved up\ 'ardly toward the lower end thereof, the curvature of the chute being continuous and gradual so that the chute will have a checking action upon the flight of the car. The chute is supported by any suitable framework, indicated at e as a skeleton frame, and, if desired, this framework 6 and the tower B may be of a separable or knockdown construction in order that the parts may be easily and quickly separated and packed for transportation and storage. The target F is composed of paper, papier macho, or any other material which will be easily broken or punctured by the torpedo shaped car as it leaves the. chute E. The target is positioned within a slot or groove f of a framework F, whereby a broken target may be easily removed from the frame and replaced by a fresh target. The opening in the frame and the target are of such dimensions that the torpedo-shaped car will readily pass through the target without coming in contact with the frame. The targetis placed at such a distance from the end of the curved runway that. the momentum of the car will be sufficient to carry said car over the space between the end of the runway and through the target. As shown, the target supporting frame F is provided with suitable legs adapted to be secured in position upon the ground by stakes, or or other suitable fastening means f The upper part of the target frame is retained in position by suitable stays, indicated at- 7, in the form of tie-rods, certain of said tie-rods being attached to the frame a of the chute or runway whereas other tie-rods are fastened to the wall ol :1 terminal receiving tank (1. Tank G is positioned in spaced relation to target I, the latter being spaced relative to the chute or runway l and the tank G. The detailed ci'uistruclion of the tank not material. but as shown it is adapted to be placed upon the ground and to be substantially concealed by earth piled around it so as to form an embankment y. The tank is below the target, and when the to 'pedo-shaped car passes through the target its momentum is suflicient to carry it into the water contained within the tank. The motion of the car within the tank is arrested by any suitable means. but as shown in Fig. l a spring butter H is provided at one end of the tank and in the path of the car, whereby the contact of the ear with the butter arrests the motion of the car, the buffer yielding to the impact of the car so as to avoid the liability to damage and injury to the parts.

An cs cntial feature of the terminal receiving tank consists in the provision of means whereby a confederate may be concealed in the tank and out of view of the audience. As shown. the tank is provided at one side thereof with a chamber l, within which is a shelf 2'. This chamber T has communication with the tank by an opening: j which is normally closed by a door J, the lattcrbeing hinged to a wall of the tank. The upper part of chamber I is reduced so as to form a manhole It the top of which is closed by a manhole cover K. the latter fitting air tight to the tank and being composed preferably of glass. The chamber I conceals the confederate of the performer from the view of the audience, and at the proper time, 2'. 6.. after the car enters the tank. the door J is opened and the confederate passes from the chamber I into the water of the tank G and emerges therefrom within view of the audience.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The torpedo-shaped car is brought into View of the audience, and the conical top. a, thereof is unscrewed from the body of the car. A performer now climbs into the car, or is hoisted and deposited therein, after which the conical top is replaced upon the body of the car, thus securely housing the performer within said car. The confederate passes through the manhole 7;- into the chamber I of the terminal tank, and is thus concealed from the View of the aud ence. The car with the performer therein is lifted to the top of the tower, the car being at. all times in the full view of the audience. The performer within the car operates the catch 0 and opens the trap door 6, thus allow ng the performer to leave the car without the audience becoming aware of the deception,

the trap door being thereafter closed. The

m "first! car is now placed within the projecting apl and a checking and guiding chute bridging paratus l) and the latter operated to project the apparatus from the tower. The

tiirpedo-sha wd car follows the course indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1, and in its tlight this car rests upon the chute or runway, the latter operating to support the car and to guide or direct its movement. the speed of the car being checked by the frictional contact thereof with the chute. The momentum of the car is sutlic-ient to carryit through the target and into the tank. the impact of the car against the target breaking the latter. \Vhen the car enters the tank its movement is checked by contact with the spring butter and the confederate passes from the chamber I through the door J into the tank,. said confederate rising through the water of the tank within the view of the audience thereby creating the illusion that the car carried the performer from the tower to the tank and that the performer emerged from the car while the latter is in. the tank.

Having thus fully described the invention, what- I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an illusion apparatus, a closed car adapted to contain a performer, in combination with a terminal receiving tank provided with a chamber wherein a performer may be concealed, means whereby the car is projected along a predetermined path, a checking and guiding chute intermediate the projecting means and the terminal receiving tank, and a target intermediate the chute and the tank.

2111 an illusion apparatus, a closed car within which a performer may be temporarily concealed, in combination with a terminal receiving tank provided with a chamber wherein a performer may be concealed, means whereby the car is projected along a predetermined path, and a checking and guiding chute intermediate the projecting means and the terminal receiving tank.

1n an illusion apparatus, a closed car adapted to contain a performer, in combination with a terminal receiving tank' provided with a chamber wherein a performer may be concealed, mechanical means for projecting the car along a predetermined path, a checking and guiding chute inter mediate the projecting means and the terminal receiving tank, and a target spaced with relation to the chute and the tank.

t. In an illusion apparatus, a closed car adapted to contain a performer, in combination with a terminal receiving tank provided with a chamber wherein a performer may be concealed means whereby the car is projected along a predetermined path,

a part only of the path of said car between the projecting means and the terminal tank. 5. In an illusion apparatus, a closed car adapted to contain a performer, in combina tion with a terminal receiving tank provided with a chamber wherein a performer may be concealed, means whereby the car is projected along a predetermined path, a checking and guiding chute intermediate the projecting means and the terminal tank, said chute being comparatively short I and positioned so as to leave a free path between the projecting means and the chute and between the chute and the terminal tank, and a target located in the path of the j carriage and positioned intermediate the chute and the terminal tank. j 6. In an illusion apparatus, a closed receptacle adapted to contain a concealed perj former, means whereby the receptacle is projected along a predetermined path, a receiving station for said car, and a checking and guiding chute positioned intermediate the car projecting means and, thereceiving station and of such length as to leave a gap between the projecting means and the chute and also between the chute and the receiving station.

7. In an illusion apparatus, a closed receptacle adapted to contain a concealed performer, means whereby the receptacle is projected along a predetermined path, a receiving station for said car, a target positioned in the projected path of the carriage, a checking and guiding chute positioned intermediate the car projecting means and the receiving station and of such length as to leave a gap between the projecting means and the chute and also betwcn the chute and the receiving station.

8. In an illusion apparatus, a closed receptacle adapted to contain a concealed performer, means whereby the receptacle is projected along a predetermined path, a receiving station provided with a butting means for said car. and a checking and guiding chute positioned intermediate the car projecting means and the receiving station and of such length as to leave a gap betwen the projecting means and the chute and also between the chute and the receiving station.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of l two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM J. BURKE.

Witnesses H. I. Brmsnann, J AS. H. GRIFFIN. 

